AmeriCorps Senior Connections has been in existence since 1997. 

 

Our Mission is to provide direct services to seniors to enable them to remain independent and to improve their quality of life.

 

Members help prepare and deliver meals-on-wheels, provide telephone reassurance, friendly visits (including chores and care giver relief), locate programs for reduced or free prescription medications, educate seniors on changing Medicare benefits, minor home repairs, and conduct home safety assessments.

 

This program has slots for 20 AmeriCorps members.  The service year starts September 1 and goes through August 31.

 

Service sites for Senior Connections include:

    Senior Citizen Centers

    Adult Day Care

    Senior Living Facilities

    GRADD (prescription assistance, Health Council and Caregiver program)

    McAuley Clinic

    Career Center

    Low Income Heating Assistance Program (LIHEAP)

    St. Anthony's Hospice

 

Senior Connections has been recognized as one of the 51 Most innovative AmeriCorps programs in the U.S.  Click here

 

 

The Homeland Security Corps program started in 2002.

 

Our Mission is to increase the capacity of public health, public safety and disaster preparedness agencies by recruiting and training community volunteers to be activated in the event of a disaster and to educate the public on health and safety issues.

 

This program has slots for 10 AmeriCorps members.  The service year starts

March 1 and goes through February 28.

 

Members train with their agency and participate in table top and live exercises.  Members recruit and train community volunteers and organize groups including:

 

• Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT)
• Medical Reserve Corps
• Neighborhood Watch Programs
• Fire Corps
• Volunteers in Police Service

-American Red Cross

 

Members educate the public on health and safety issues by participating in school programs, community events and distributing information.

 

Service sites for Homeland Security Corps include:

    County Emergency Management Agencies

    American Red Cross Chapters

    Law Enforcement Agencies

    Fire and Rescue Training Agencies

    Solid Waste Management

    Geographic Information Systems

 

How the program works:

 

Qualified host agencies sponsor AmeriCorps members for  $4,000.

 

Members serve 1,700 hours of community service with an assigned service site. 

 

Member Benefits include:

• A minimal living allowance paid out over 24 equal pay periods.
• A $4,725 education award upon the completion of 1,700 hours of service.
• Health Insurance for the member at no cost.
• Student loans are placed in forbearance for the duration of member's service and the government pays the interest.
• Childcare assistance if eligible. 
• Training in communication, citizenship, ethics, life skills, disaster response and preparedness, community resources and benefits counseling.
• A member may serve for two years.

Senior Connections and Homeland Security Corps are AmeriCorps programs made possible by a grant from the Corporation for National Service through the Kentucky Commission on Community Volunteerism and Service.

For more information contact Dave Clark, AmeriCorps Program Director, at 270-926-4433 or email at davidclark@gradd.com